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Free number 13 - July/August 2013
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Once upon a time
HARAJUKU Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
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Monthly Magazine
NEWS I N THE EYE OF Eric Rechsteiner
Discovery Harajuku is now known throughout the world for being the “kawaii” (young, cute and extravagant) fashion district in Tokyo. It is a must for many tourists on the lookout for the latest clothing and accessories. But do we really know Harajuku? We asked three residents to be our guides through this fascinating area. At the end of the visit you will have learned that the neighbourhood is a great deal more unconventional than it might appear. The way it has evolved reflects the changes that the capital has undergone over the past 50 years and its future depends on its capacity to adapt to the changing lifestyle of people living in Tokyo. Enjoy your visit, and have a wonderful holiday!
THE EDITORIAL TEAM info@zoomjapan.info
billion yen. That’s the total of Japan’s commercial deficit as of May this year, 9.5 % more than for the same period last year. Despite the increase in the value of exports, it is the cost of oil imports that explains this figure.
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9th of June, Shinjuku, Tokyo
© Eric Rechsteiner
Editorial
In Shinjuku, dozens of fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure by Araki Hirohiko gather by the giant screen at Studio Alta. They await the exclusive showing of an episode of the animated adaptation of the manga, which has sold over 68 million copies in the archipelago since its creation in 1986.
NUCLEAR Back
into service
On the 19th of June, stricter security standards for Japan's atomic reactors were ratified. These new standards should allow the twelve electricity companies working to implement them to rapidly bring their reactors back into service.
Orangina attempts to break into the market
ECONOMY
Suntory Beverage & Food, who own the Orangina brand, will start trading on Tokyo’s stock exchange on the 3rd of July. For several months, France’s famous drink has benefited from a huge advertising campaign. Actor Richard Gere played the role of famous film character Tora-san in an attempt to establish the orange drink in Japan.
NEWS
Hyper Japan sets London to Tokyo local time
TRENDS
Once again, just it has done for the past three years, Japanese pop culture makes an appearance in the British capital. It’s an exciting event with many highlights.
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ver the past decade, Japan has consciously developed and promoted its own pop culture: manga, animation, films, video games, cuisine, literature, and more. It’s an initiative that was launched by Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2002. The aim was to support and promote Japanese culture across the world in order to contribute to the country’s positive image. The Ministry of Economy and Industry now includes a department charged with promoting the creative content industry (kontentsu sangyo) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ organizes an international manga prize every year. The results are conclusive. The BBC World Service’s international poll on how different countries are perceived around the world ranks Japan first among those countries that were seen to have the most positive influence. Nowadays, manga and animation film heroes have become ambassadors for Japan. In Iraq, where Tokyo deployed troops in charge of logistics, the supply
trucks were decorated with manga heroes. They never came under attack; after all, who would have dared hurt Captain Tsubasa, the football champion young Iraqis dream about? In Europe, the increasing success of Japanese pop culture is undeniable, especially with Hyper Japan’s growing success since it was created in 2010. This year, the event takes place from the 26th to the 28th of July at Earls Court, and it will be a great occasion for lovers of Japanese culture. There is something to suit all tastes. Those who enjoy anime will welcome the presence of Daisuki Anime, the new Made in Japan streaming portal. Cosplay lovers will be able to demonstrate their talents, while Tokyo Fashion Story will present Japan’s latest street fashion. Food and sake will also be at the heart of the events, with the Sushi Awards and the Sake Experience. It’s a chance to taste the best products, as well as to get advice and be steered towards the best on offer. Last but not least, Japanese traditional culture is highlighted with Sayuki, the geisha. This is an unmissable event where everybody will find something to satisfy their curiosity and leave with a host of good memories. GABRIEL BERNARD www.hyperjapan.co.uk
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Harajuku Follow the locals! In the space of five decades, this ancient and once tranquil district has become one of the foremost centres for international fashion. t can’t be repeated too often that Tokyo's 1964 Olympic Games had an incredible impact on the appearance of the Japanese capital. For a long time, Harajuku was famous for its tranquillity and its rice fields. It was transformed in just a few years after Tokyo was chosen to host the 18th Olympiad of the modern era and became a prominent location for culture and fashion in Japan. Harajuku has become a trendsetting hotspot. It all began in 1958 when the Harajuku Central Apartments were built. Tokyo Plaza Omotesando has now replaced the ori-
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ginal building but it is still here that many artists and intellectuals choose to live. Café Léon opened on the ground floor and became the meeting place for all kinds of creative people. Unlike Shinjuku, its famous neighbour with cinemas showing French Nouvelle Vague films, and where the foundations for a cultural revolution were laid at the end of the 60s, Harajuku is rather more dedicated to art and design. Artists such as Sakamoto Ryuichi liked to spend time at the Café Léon. Little by little, fashion took over, and in December 1973, An An magazine, the Japanese equivalent of Elle, published a long article about Harajuku and the fact that many young “AnNon tribe” women (AnNon zoku, a reference to the magazines An An and Non No that were very fashionable at the
time) would hang out there. The shops run by these young creative people attracted street artists and Tokyo’s youth, especially middle- and high-school pupils, who took advantage of the car ban in Omotesando to meet and dance from morning till night. They were nicknamed the “Bamboo Shoot Tribe” (takenoko zoku, in reference to the Takenoko shop owned by Otake Takenori, where they bought their clothes). The action spilled out into the streets and, bit by bit, the appearance of the streets changed. Takeshita Street, right by the station, underwent the most radical change. In 1987, this long street, which for many years had been home to many hostess bars, saw the arrival of the first shop to be connected to a television broadcast. It was called Genki ga deru hausu
Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
With designer Chocomoo
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YOYOGI PARK
Alissa's itinerary
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Bonobo the Victor building
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The Togo sanctuary
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Spinns Harajuku
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Joyrich c/o Laforet Harajuku
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Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
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Aurélie Boissière for Zoom Japan
Harajuku station
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Omochaya Spiral
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[A home in which you feel happy] and was developed by the Nippon TV channel. It became a hit and shops like it multiplied, spurring on a a period of talent hunting. Since the Sunday car ban was introduced in the late 70's, Harajuku had space for people to meet and the area around Omotesando developed into a vast open-air concert hall where dozens of bands could perform. It attracted hordes of people and maintained the myth of a district dedicated to creativity. Fashion shops prospered along the main arterial roads but Harajuku’s centre of gravity progressively moved towards Ura Harajuku, a district full of small streets where young designers were able to rent places at affordable prices. Young people in search of their own style found everything they were looking for in these shops. Without being too sophisticated, street fashion progressively took over, spearheaded in 1997 by A Bathing Ape, which was set up in Ura Harajuku and attracted thousands of young people on the lookout for novelty. It didn’t take long for Propeller Street and Cat Street to see shops sprouting up like mushrooms. The success of Japanese pop culture across the world at the start of 21st century has contributed to Harajuku’s increasing popularity. In the past, when foreigners came, it was mainly to visit the Oriental Bazaar, a shop specializing in Japanese souvenirs, from replica swords to tea bowls, or Kiddy Land, a toy shop full of gadgets that were popular at the time. These two historical shops still exist but a visit to them is no longer a priority. Nowadays, what everybody in Harajuku wants to be is kawaii (cute). Kept in the public eye by the media, this fashion style is eagerly sought out by many young Japanese and thousands of foreigners who walk up and down Ura Harajuku’s streets every weekend. It is the vibrant mix of different styles that makes the area so pleasing. In 2004, American singer Gwen Stefani celebrated the district in her song, Harajuku Girls. “I’m fascinated by the Japanese fashion scene, just an American girl in the Tokyo streets,” she sings in her song that became an international hit, definitively recognizing Harajuku as being one of the world’s foremost fashion centres. Furthermore, just as it has done over the past five decades, the neighbourhood has continued to change and develop. In 1964, Harajuku completely altered its previous existence in the space-time continuum and it hasn’t stopped since then. It's a place where you might have unlikely encounters. “One beautiful morning in April, on a narrow side-street in Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku neighbourhood, I walked past the 100% perfect girl,” wrote Murakami Haruki in one of his essays. Everything is possible in Harajuku, and that is why Zoom Japan decided to ask three of the neighbourhood’s inhabitants to be our guides. Three original and complimentary perspectives on entering the heart of Tokyo. ODAIRA NAMIHEI
At the weekend, Takeshita Street is where the young meet up to search out the latest trends. july-august 2013 number 13 ZOOM JAPAN 5
FOCUS
Originally from Los Angeles, Joyrich has been popular in the area for three years.
TREND
Harajuku’s little princess
Artist Chocomoo has become very popular with many brands. Here she tells us more about her favourite places. his year’s rainy season has been quite dry so far, so Zoom Japan's dynamic duo (this writer and ace photographer Jeremie Souteyrat) decide to head to Japan’s street fashion capital: Harajuku. Our mission: meet artist Chocomoo. The Kyoto-born rising star of Harajuku youth culture is now 29 but she still looks 23 – the same age when she turned her lifelong passion for drawing into a career. “I’ve drawn all my life,” she says, “but didn’t think much of my work. Then about six years ago I was contacted out of the blue by a Tokyo-based brand. They had seen some of my drawings on my blog and asked me to work for them. At the opening party I met singer Ai-chan, who asked me to design some goods for her next tour. And so on, one project led to the next one, and here I am!”. Since then
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she has collaborated with such brands as Milkfed, Override and Ravijour, and has designed tour goods for “Japan’s Lady Gaga”, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Today Chocomoo will show us some of her favorite spots in Harajuku. We are not alone though, as an NHK World TV crew has joined us. It’s a sunny warm June afternoon and with it being a Friday, the streets are not as crowded as in the weekend. Our first destination is Spinns 02 Harajuku. This popular chain's brand new outlet is located next door to such fashion heavy weights as Laforet, H&M and Forever 21. Spinns’ original location – just down the street – only opened in 2010 but has fast become one of the favorite brands of the hip Harajuku crowd. Chocomoo has illustrated both the front and the interior of the new shop and her black and white drawings are everywhere. “To complete this particular assignment it took me about 5-6 hours,” Chocomoo says. At the opening she performed one or her famous live paintings that are quickly becoming one of the
must-see events of the vibrant Harajuku nights. “Because of my look and the kind of work I do, I’m often labeled a ‘Harajuku girl’ but I used to be very shy. Even now, when I’m in Kyoto – where I still live – I spend most of the time at home drawing, a little otaku-like. It is only recently that I’ve somewhat overcome my shyness, what with all the interviews, the live paintings, parties, etc”. Back outside, we immediately dive into Laforet next door. Opened in 1978 on Meiji Street, this historical place has contributed more than any other store to shift the center of Japanese youth fashion from Shinjuku to Harajuku. Our visit is perfectly timed as on the second floor we can admire Chocomoo’s latest and biggest collaboration yet: a new collection for influential LA-based brand Joyrich. Next we cross Meiji Street and enter the area informally known as Ura-Harajuku, the maze of backstreets where most street fashion is made and sold.
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The artist particularly likes mixing styles, as can be found at Mishka Tokyo.
This is a relatively quieter area where the boutiques share space with residential buildings. Our next destination is one of those niche shops you are likely to miss unless you know what you are looking for. Avantgarde is a tiny basement store that specializes in tattoo stockings. “They are incredibly popular among Harajuku girls right now,” says Chocomoo. “The interesting thing about this place is that you can actually try the stockings on. It’s quite unique!”. At this point we decide to take a break and head to the nearby Piazza Eco-Farm Cafe. “Because of my job, I spend a lot of time in this neighborhood,” she says. “Every time I have a break I like to hide in this cafe”. We talk about Chocomoo’s artistic influences while sipping an ice tea. “Obviously I like such artists as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol but my biggest influence comes from Japan. I’ve had no formal art education, but in elementary school I learned traditional calligraphy and was also fond of Indian-ink painting and woodblock print. I like Japanese art’s monotones. That’s why my works are all black and white. Also, my grandfather was a kimono designer so I may have inherited his love for tradition. In the beginning my style was closer to a streetwise punk sensibility (my favorite designer is Vivian Westwood), but when I started working for the shops in this area I was asked to smooth the rougher edges and draw something more kawaii to match Harajuku’s overall image. So now I alternate these two styles”. We also talk about her creative process. “Drawing for me is very random. I don’t really like to start a new work with a definite image in my head, and I never
use drafts or rough copies. I directly apply my arsenal of markers, sharpies and acrylic pens. I keep drawing, improvising on the spot, until in the end the final image materializes in front of my eyes. If something goes wrong, I’m very good at covering my mistakes,” she says laughing. We resume navigating Ura-Harajuku’s maze. Our next destination is Mishka Tokyo, the sister store of Mishka New York. Along the way we see many tiny shops and boutiques. Chocomoo points out Japan’s diversity in comparison with other countries. “Usually in the US, Korea or Taiwan one fad follows another, but here you can see several different trends and styles at the same time and people are not afraid to experiment and freely mix them all together. Harajuku’s youth have a particular fashion sensibility and you can just see it by walking around here. Also, the whole subculture scene is very active, with many magazines and websites fuelling the interest for designers, artists, musicians and DJs. It’s an endless party here!”. Mishka is a small but stylish shop packed with hats, t-shirts and jackets as well as the designer’s toy collection. The shop is worth visiting for the interior decoration alone. “The designer is a good friend of mine,” Chocomoo says, “and we share a love of weird toys. By the way, there’s a great toy shop in front of Mishka!”. So our party of seven heads to Omochaya Spiral, where all the available space is taken by dolls, anime-inspired figurines and whatever else a toy lover may dream of. “My room is full of toys,” Chocomoo says”. I often go to flea markets, and even when I return from my travels abroad my suitcase is always full of toys”.
Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
Chocomoo’s imagination on the Spinns sign
Spiral is a shop for toy lovers.
Our mission accomplished, we head back to Harajuku’s main crossing where we say good-bye. Be sure to visit the NHK World TV booth at the upcoming Japan Expo from July the 4th to the 7th where you will be able to see Chocomoo in action. GIANNI SIMONE july-august 2013 number 13 ZOOM JAPAN 7
FOCUS MEMORIES
A river runs through it
WATARI Koichi, director of the Watarium, was born and raised in Harajuku. He will guide us through this area so dear to him. arajuku is more than just a place on a map, it is a state of mind. For example, there is a station with such a name, but a district called Harajuku does not actually exist. Most of the area is actually called Jingu-mae. Still, everybody knows where Harajuku is. In order to shed some light on the subject, Zoom Japan spoke to one of Harajuku’s more prominent citizens, Watari Koichi, who, together with his sister Etsuko, runs the prestigious Watari Museum of Contemporary Art. We meet in front of the museum and he immediately points out a yellow building on the other side of Gaien Nishi Street. “That’s the nursery school that I went to,” he says. “Then I attended Aoyama Elementary School in front of Gaien-mae Station. Since then I’ve kept one foot in Harajuku and the other one in Aoyama. Harajuku is synonymous with street culture – starting with the so-called Takenoko-zoku (Bamboo Shoot Tribe) in the 1980s – while Aoyama has always been more highbrow and sophisticated, with fashion designers like Miyake Issey. Now I live on the other side of Aoyama Street, between Aoyama and Azabu, which still is quite close to this district”. We start walking toward the Meiji Jingu stadium complex when, after about 300 metres, we suddenly take a narrow street to the left. “Many years ago this was the Shibuya River,” Watari says. “Most people don’t know this but the river still flows under this street before surfacing south of Shibuya Station”. Along the way we find a couple of old-looking stones on both sides of the street. “This is the spot where a bridge used to stand,” he says. Watari explains that in the Edo period (1603-1868) many feudal lords had their mansions in this area while the rest of the area was mostly comprised of rice fields. Following our guide, we finally reach one of Harajuku’s main arteries, Meiji Street. Here we pass in front of BEAMS Harajuku, one of the area’s more popular shops for men’s fashion. “This is the first brand that opened in Harajuku, back in 1976, together with United Arrows and other shops,” Watari says. Today the BEAMS flagship store has been joined by nine more shops, all clustered near Meiji Street, ranging from clothes to records, art and collectors’ items. I ask Watari for his opinion on how Harajuku has changed over the years. “When I was a child the district had a stronger American flavour,” he says. “After the war they built a big camp for the American forces behind Harajuku Station, so a number of shops opened to cater to them: Kiddy Land, the Oriental Bazaar, etc. A little further from here, near Gaien-mae Station, they opened the first bowling alley in Tokyo. It was considered a very 8 ZOOM JAPAN number 13 july-august 2013
Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
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WATARI Koichi outside his museum that has become one of Tokyo’s contemporary art hotspots.
cool place and everybody used to go there, including my father. And in Aoyama Street, next to the Brooks Bros. shop, there was the upscale Yours supermarket that specialized in imported goods. It was open until 3.00 a.m. so many hostesses from Ginza would do their shopping there after work”. Watari has especially fond memories of Kiddy Land. “For me it was like a dream land. I particularly loved the top floor where they kept all the imported toys. The
kids could actually play with the samples so for me it was a very special place. When, in 1974, they closed down that floor I was SO disappointed!”. We cross Meiji Street and quickly disappear into a quiet area full of trees. This is Togo Jinja. “The original shrine was built in 1940 in memory of Admiral Togo who had defeated the Russian fleet in the 1905 Russo-Japanese war,” Watari says. “It was destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1964”. Unfortunately we can-
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Wedding procession at Togo sanctuary on a sunny 14th of June.
Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
not visit the inner shrine today because there is a Shinto wedding taking place. From a distance we can see the kimono-clad couple slowly walking to the shrine while traditional gagaku music is playing. “For me it’s like a park,” Watari says. “I like to walk through the shrine on my way to the station because it’s so peaceful. I almost forget I’m in Harajuku”. Following the tree-lined path, we reach a short flight of stairs leading to one of the loudest places in Harajuku: Takeshita Street. Turning right one quickly reaches the station, but we go left instead, back to Meiji Street. On the way we pass by the spot where Palais France once stood. “They sold clothes, accessories, furniture and other goods,” Watari says, “and at the time it was the epitome of elegance. There was also a cafe where you could listen to classical music. At the same time, there used to be a number of love hotels on Takeshita Street where the American soldiers would take their Japanese girlfriends…”. Watari also reminisces about the area’s musical past. “The younger generation probably don’t know this, but Harajuku used to be an interesting place for music lovers too. Rock star Yazawa Eikichi, for example, used to play rockabilly at a local club called Cream Soda with his group Carol”. Around the mid-70s Harajuku became a popular meeting point for rock and roll fans who loved such fashion brands as Jun and Van. Predating street culture’s later flair for combining disparate styles, the boys would typically mix big afros with long Chinese jackets. They used to gather on a stretch of Omotesando Avenue that was closed to traffic on Sunday. This area became so popular with amateur bands, their fans and casual observers that eventually the metropolitan government decided to stop the practice in 1996. Crossing Meiji Street again, we quickly reach Neighborhood, one of the original Ura-Harajuku stores that mixes biker culture with outdoor and military elements. “The other shops have moved up to Aoyama’s more upscale district, but Neighborhood has stayed faithful to its roots,” Watari says. Speaking of business, I ask Watari about the time between 1995 and 2001 when he was the chairman of both the shop owner and neighbourhood development associations. “Every time a new company or shop opens here we have meetings and explain our rules,” he says, “like our campaigns to keep the streets clean. We also make sure that the new buildings along Omotesando Avenue are not much taller than the trees. Even during the bubble years, when the banks where opening new branches everywhere, we kept Omotesando bank-free”. Watari thinks that the business environment has changed in the last 10 to15 years. “In the beginning all these young entrepreneurs were opening their shops here because it was cheap, but since the street fashion boom rents have increased by 3-4 times. Then big brands like H&M and Forever 21 have moved in, making things even tougher for small businesses, so now only the really successful names can stay in Harajuku”. Watari recalls how he became involved with the local
Before becoming one of Harajuku’s trendiest streets, Takeshita was home to many love hotels.
organizations. “In 1995 our museum organized a big project called ‘Ripple across the Water’. We invited 40 artists, each of them contributing a site-specific piece. It was a huge project, way too big for a small family-run museum. The chairman at the time was a 70-year-old guy. He helped us a lot, but at the end of the exhibition he asked me to replace him, and of course I couldn’t say no. It was very stressful but at the same time it helped us create a network of contacts that we could use for future projects”. Temples and shrines are another important yet overloo-
ked feature of the area. “They were built in order to protect Edo Castle,” Watari explains. “In a sense they functioned like a wall”. On our way back to the museum, we pass in front of one of them, Myoenji, belonging to the Nichiren Buddhist sect. According to a sign we find here, the name Harajuku (Literally meaning "lodgings by the field") comes from an inn along the road that connected Tokyo to the city of Kamakura. “Harajuku” definitely disappeared from the official postal address system in 1965, when it was replaced by Jingu-mae. G. S. july-august 2013 number 13 ZOOM JAPAN 9
FOCUS CURIOSITY
Ghost busters
As you move away from the louder streets in the neighbourhood, you may have a few surprising encounters. round the back of the trendiest streets in Harajuku, there is a tiny neighbourhood that has preserved all of its mystery. Dotted with wholesalers and cafes frequented by elegantly dressed locals, Jingu-mae 2-chome Street becomes more and more interesting the further you go down it. The street itself actually branches into two roads, which lead to the remains of the Olympic complex. Walking on the left you will pass by one of the local shrines and on the right the Blood of Poets bar and the haunted Sendagaya tunnel. At the junction between the two stands the the Bonobo bar, marked out by the sign from an old liquor store, which used to be owned by a Taiwanese man, hanging in pride of place, exactly where it has done for the past 50 years. A bar, a club, a noodle bar and a tapas bar, the Bonobo is all of these things as well as a communal meeting place for music-lovers and a hotspot for crazy, talented artists. Around 5 pm, Jingu-mae Street lights up as offices close for the day. Ug (Uji) Ueno arrives in his famous “sanctuary-car”, bedecked in leaves and branches, and parks in the middle of the street outside the Bonobo without anyone batting an eyelid. An old woman waves hello to Ueno-san from her grocery shop and then takes a picture with her phone. Nobody ever gets used to Ug’s car, it always provokes amazement, fear or laughter with a 3 metre high and 5 metre long pile of branches sits on the roof like a nest. “It helps to advertise my current hanaike exhibition!” he says. Based on ikebana, hanaike is floral art that can measure up to the enormous scale of this artists’ work. “I discovered ikebana when I was 19 and I would imagine people in kimonos, on a mat, contemplating. But in reality this art is much more aggressive and bold”. The Bonobo’s ground floor is the perfect illustration of Ug’s wild ikebana. It hangs down from the ceiling, with branches of all shapes and sizes that knot and swirl around each other above the DJ’s booth, and according to the season, it can include branches from cherry trees or hydrangeas. Ueno met Sei Koichi, the Bonobo’s manager, four years ago. “At that time, the Bonobo had been half destroyed by a fire. Sei asked me to create a terrace and to decorate the bar. And I immediately thought of using bushes”. “This is Tora-san’s house.” says the owner. Sitting on a mat on the second floor of this strange house, named after a monkey and built like a cave, Sei remembers his friend who passed away 8 years ago. “Tora-san was an old alcoholic. He also created the country’s best audio system in order to listen to Miles Davis
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Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
Ug (Uji) Ueno and his car covered with branches, never go unnoticed in the neighbourhood.
According to the time of day, the Bonobo is transformed from a bar, into a dance floor or a canteen.
properly. He lived on the second floor of this house that was used as a rehersal studio”. This Korean, born in Yamagata prefecture in 1963 and brought up with the name Yoshimura Koichi, was the founder of the Bonobo and mad about music. He lived in New York were he played in experimental bands while working at NHK and brought back the spirit of the Loft and
its mythical underground parties that inspired the Bonobo. He bought the house in 2005 after meeting Tora-san. “If I hadn’t bought it, there’d be a car park here instead. Tora-san was right to choose me. He couldn’t pay the rent and died 6 months later”. The Bonobo has been the subject of much harassment from estate agents. “I was offered 100 million yen for
the site. I was crazy to refuse,” murmurs Sei. The fire happened after that, during the Obon holidays. “Everybody was off on holiday. The police said it was arson. So I took revenge by building a terrace and an outdoor bar!” The neighbourhood around Jungu-mae also boasts a cemetery, a Buddhist sanctuary and a haunted tunnel that runs alongside the old 1964 Olympic facilities. Sendagaya tunnel was built for the Olympic Games under a cemetery, despite warnings to the contrary. It has since been classified as a “hotspot” for ghostly apparitions, as well as suicides. At the Senjuin traffic lights (the hermitage) outside the Victors building, is a very conspicuous house completely covered in leaves. A Japanese meddler tree spreads its branches over the entrance. Nothing would lead you to believe that it is inhabited: the windows are closed and obscured by ivy, but then the light comes on, and all you can think of is running away. A little further down the road is a black building that contains the Blood of Poets bar with a replica of the Mona Lisa as its sign. In an ambiance halfway between new wave and Cocteau, a Japanese Rastafarian drinks pastis at the counter. As a beat generation photographer and a great poetry enthusiast, the owner of the place, Fujimoto, opened yet another bar on the ground floor call Howl. However, the most mysterious and alluring bar in these parts has to be Sakura-san. Hidden at the bottom of a street, it is a refuge for the neighbourhood’s workers, although it has room for 10 customers at most. The proprietor, Sakura-san himself, a tanned fifty-something, used to be an architect like his father and son. “I left the family business because I hated the accounting.” he says. He rebuilt this bar that used to be a warehouse, but kept the wooden structure and the outside entrance. It isn’t surprising that there’s neither a door nor a sign for this surf lover’s establishment. While the bar’s regulars come and go, Sakurasan remembers his first bar. “It was the Kilala bar, further up towards Harajuku. I don’t go there anymore, it’s haunted!”. The conversation suddenly takes off. Several customers remember the bar. “It wasn’t just Sakura-san. Everybody could see the ghost!” says Miyoshi, an engineer. “One night, quite late, we were 4 or 5 mates hanging out, and it was humid and warm. The ghost entered through the window like a draught. It just stayed there, standing. It was a man, a poltergeist,” says Sakura-san, as Ai-san shrieks that she would have loved to have seen him as well. “When you came it was too dry, that’s why you didn’t see him. Japanese ghosts like humidity”. It’s past 7 pm, the Bonobo’s outside bar lights up and a table is put outside on the pavement. The Chie bar, named after its manager, is opening up. “It’s not really legal to set up outside, but when the police turn up, all they find is a bunch of locals sitting around,” says Seisan with a smile. When it closes early in the morning, the bar turns into Usagi Udon, a noodle bar open every day for lunch. The Bonobo’s dance floor turns into a little canteen where the neighbourhood’s office wor-
Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
FOCUS
Decorated by Ueno-san, the Bonobo is a hotspot for music lovers.
kers come to eat. It’s great fun to see these well dressed men loudly slurping their soup to the rhythm of Ska music amid Ug’s bushy decor. Besides its delicious udon, Usagi is noteworthy for changing its manager every two years. “It’s to avoid boredom,” says Kisshin, the chef. Tokyo is a capital that continually changes and is known
for destroying and reconstructing according to the latest trends, but in this small part of Harajuku there remains a bunch of hardliners that prefers to hold on to the existing framework and heart of the area. ALISSA DESCOTES-TOYOSAKI july-august 2013 number 13 ZOOM JAPAN 11
CULTURE ENCOUNTER
Hanazawa, an unintentional hero
A rising star of the manga world, and the author of I am a Hero, Hanazawa Kengo lets us in on his work and his take on Japanese society.
scenario can usually be imagined after the second or third episode. This time, I wanted to mislead the reader and surprise him. So the zombie appears in the script when the reader was starting to believe that the manga was just about a manga author’s everyday life. The horror film Paranormal Activity inspired that moment. Instead of changing the frame, I thought it more realistic to keep the camera still. In other words, if I had zoomed into a close-up, or had too wide a frame, I think it would have lost a lot of its realism. In a way, it's a documentary approach that I wanted.
H
anazawa Kengo already has a few successes to boast of. The latest, I am a Hero, has been published in Big Comic Spirits magazine since 2009. We took advantage of his visit to Brussels for the Made in Asia Festival to interview him about his progress and his latest manga. Your manga I am a Hero is very popular abroad. It was even part of the official selection at the Angoulême Festival in France. What do you have to say about its popularity? HANAZAWA Kengo : Frankly, I was surprised. It’s quite surprising that a manga with a failed Japanese hero would get such a warm welcome abroad. I feel relieved that there are other people in the world that resemble me, and in whom I inspire sympathy. I’m happy to see that such typically Japanese culture, which is usually quite hard for foreigners to understand, was so well received. Tokyo, 14th of June 2013.
How was I am a Hero born? H. K. : Usually, when you start a new series, you have meetings with the publisher to determine the layout of the story. For this manga, we decided to include the themes of “fear” and “destruction”. I talked about it with my editor quite a lot, to discover my own fears. When I think about it, I’ve been fearful since I was a child. I never suffered from any particular experience, but I was scared to go to the toilet alone. And this childish fear stayed with me as I grew up. As for “destruction”, this is related to my previous comic strip, Boys on the run. I experienced a very difficult period during which I had a lot of trouble finding new ideas. At that time, while I was commuting between home
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and my studio, I sometimes wanted to just pack it all in. While I was thinking about a story that could combine with the themes of “fear” and “destruction”, the idea of a zombie character seemed perfect. And there are very few manga in Japan that talk about zombies. On the other hand, there are many zombie movies, such as 28 Days Later, the Army of the Dead, REC, I am a Legend. In fact I am a Hero was inspired by the Army of the Dead. The zombie doesn’t appear until the eleventh episode, which is quite late. How come? H. K. : In the pre-publication magazines, the global
Does Hideo, the mangaka’s assistant and the main character in I am a Hero, resemble you? H. K. : Yes. When I started this strip I wanted it to stick to reality more than in my previous work. That is why I decided to create a main character that resembles me. His face is mine, although we don’t have the same haircut. If I hadn’t been able to draw, I think I’d have been a failure. I’ve always believed I was useless. I’ve never felt like shooting someone though, because that’s a crime. In Japan, gun law is very strict. It’s quite rare to even get to touch a gun. This manga’s realism doesn’t only concern Hideo. For example, I went to Mount Fuji to smell the scent of rotting bodies [many people commit suicide there]. In fact, I only found bones. Sometimes, Hideo denies reality and enters an imaginary world. Why? H. K. : The main character has problems communicating. He has trouble living in the real world and hides away in an imaginary world. When you’re a mangaka, success promotes you to the top of the social pile. On the other hand, when it doesn’t work, you’re at the bottom of the ladder. Because we live in a very unequal society, many mangaka go through a lot of stress. Mangaka assistants carry out their work diligently, but from the
CULTURE outside they often appear slightly suspect because people know very little about what they actually get up to.
How did you become a mangaka? H. K. : I didn’t want to do the same thing as others, I didn’t go to a specialized manga school. I did computer science training. When I graduated, I worked for a printing house first, before becoming an assistant to mangaka Uoto Osamu. He is someone who liked precision. When he drew an onigiri, he would really focus on bringing out the texture of the seaweed. I also worked for Yamamoto Hideo for a period of time. It was important for him to endure real life experiences to write his manga. I was very influenced by him, so I always undertake research before starting on my own projects. After my first manga, Ressentiment, I was still an assistant for quite a while. Now I am married, and I have someone there to listen to me, but at the time, like Hideo, it was up to me alone to speak up and to criticize the society around me. In the beginning, Hideo goes crazy trying to become a hero. And he becomes one, step by step. H. K. : There’s nothing special about a zombie. In that sense, the zombie only plays a secondary role as such. I only recently realized this. Because the main character is so closely related to me, if I were to think that I wasn’t the main character in my own life, he couldn’t be either. Will Hideo be the last survivor in this world? H. K. : I wonder. I don’t know yet, but I have a vague
HANAZAWA Kengo
Unlike most ordinary Japanese people, these suspicious characters are able to survive crisis situations. H. K. : When you are part of that group, or when you’re a loser, you can only survive by fleeing reality. And in the event of a crisis, these people are astonishingly strong because they are used to being cold-blooded by fleeing reality. In my case, if attacked by a zombie, I would probably become one after being bitten without fighting it off. I’d prefer to be a zombie because it wouldn’t be as stressful (laughs).
Hideo is the main character of I am a Hero. To create him, the author took inspiration from himself.
idea of what will happen. In general, in most zombie films it ends without really knowing what they are. I hope to give an answer to that. In your manga you show Japanese people who are incapable of responding to the appearance of zombies. This a way of criticizing a society that doesn’t comprehend the feeling of crisis and attempting to shock? H. K. : Hmm. I started the strip before March 2011’s earthquake. It’s something I created from my own imagination. And then reality overtook me. I wonder if I should allow my way of thinking to evolve. Before the earthquake I could evoke scenes of destruction while in a peaceful reality but once that reality was destroyed, perhaps I had to change the way I expressed myself, especially when writing about violent situations. This manga might not have seen the light of day if the earthquake had happened beforehand. The Japanese are not very aware of danger. They don’t know how to react in the face of danger, but that may not be such a bad thing. I became aware of that when seeing how united we all were after the earthquake.
Boys on the Run was adapted for the cinema in 2010 before the TV adaptation in 2012. I am a Hero was nominated for the Great Manga Prize and has been warmly welcomed abroad. As a result of this success, is it hard to continue drawing losers? H. K. : No. I can’t yet leave the universe of losers. I know that to succeed, I need to develop more confidence. For the time being, I’d feel I was lying if I were to draw myself as a superman. So because I can’t draw lies, I think I’ll continue drawing losers. Is it hard to meet the deadlines for pre-publication magazines? H. K. : In general the editor keeps a close eye on what I’m doing when I’m drawing a strip and he deals with everything. So I always meet the deadlines. And sometimes, when I concentrate too hard on what I’m doing, I forget what I’ve drawn the previous week. I spend most of my time in my studio, which is in my house. And when I relax, I like to go out to restaurants with my wife. INTERVIEW BY SAYAKA ATLAN
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EATING & DRINKING
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Jérémie Souteyrat for Zoom Japan
The monk Kukai, renamed Kobo daishi after his death and founder of the Shingo sect, built his first monastery here. His mausoleum is also located in the area.
DISCOVERY
High up on the sacred mountain
Designated as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2004, Mount Koya, an important Buddhist shrine, holds many surprises.
T
his place is often neglected by foreign tourists who prefer to visit Kyoto or Nara. Yet Mount Koya, or Koya-san to the iniated, is an amazing location that deserves a visit. Getting there is not very difficult at all and takes around two and a half hours from Osaka, Kyoto or Nara. The mountain temple complex is unique and captivating, especially if you
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visit at a time when the mist appears through the trees, the temples and other sanctuaries. It is a very mystical place that seduced the monk Kukai (renamed Kobodaishi after his death) nearly 1,200 years ago on his way back from China, where he studied Chanyang’s tantric doctrine. The legend says that it was the Shinto divinities that led him to this hard-to-access mountain, at a height of 1,000 meters. Having convinced the Emperor to give him the right to create a hermitage, the monk founded the Kongobu-ji temple here in 832, the first temple in which he preached his Shingon doctrine, adapted from what he had studied on
the continent. It's sphere of influence extended over the entire area of Koya-san as well. The temple that currently bears the name (open from 8.30am - 5pm, entry is 500 yen) is more recent, but it is still the principal monastery of Shingon Buddhism. Within its precinct shelters the biggest stone garden in Japan, the Banryu-tei, with rocks evoking mountains rising above a sea of clouds. The oldest building still standing on Mount Koya is the Fudo-do, dating back to 1197 and it escaped many fires that destroyed most of the other temples. Classified as a national treasure, the Fudo-do doesn’t possess the majesty of the other buildings, but
it exudes a serenity that few can resist. It is situated on the Danjo Garan site, which is made up of five elements including the main gateway (Daimon). Placed at the entrance to the complex, the Daimon is a building 25 metres high, flanked on either side by the figures of two divinities, whose mission is to protect Koya-san. Many tourists stop for the view of the inland sea and amateur photographers appreciate the mountain's spectacular sunsets. They also like to stop outside the Daito, the big pagoda (8.30am - 5pm, entry is 200 yen) that was built by brother Kukai as a central element of the monastic complex. The original building was built in 816 over a period of 70 years, but alas it did not survive the fires. The current pagoda actually dates back to 1937. It measures 49 metres in height and shelters a statue of the Mahavairocana Buddha, with four Buddhas and sixteen bodhisattvas painted on the pillars. The way they are positioned actually forms a three-dimensional expression of an important mandala (symbolic images to aid meditation) in Shingon Buddhism. This Buddhist sect claims to have twelve million followers and professes a doctrine according to which anyone can aspire to enlightenment and becoming a Buddha, reaching Nirvana through the untiring repetition of mantras (incantations) and the visualisation of mandalas. Opposite the Great Pagoda, you can visit the Golden Pavilion (Kondo, 8.30am – 5pm, entry is 200 yen), where the main Buddhist services take place. Initially built in 819, the current structure dates back to 1932. Right next to it is the latest addition to the Danjo Garan site, the Mie-do or “portrait pavilion”. This building is not accessible to the public but it still holds some importance, as it is where the monk Kukai is said to have lived. Inside is a portrait of Kukai himself, said to be painted by his disciple, the imperial prince Shinnyo. The building is opened once a year, on the eve of the 21st of March, the anniversary of the date when Kukai is meant to have entered meditation for all eternity in 835 (the date of his death). To see his artwork from Mount Koya’s various monasteries, we recommend the Reiho-kan museum (8.30am – 5.30pm May to
Odaira Namihei
TRAVEL
The Daimon, the main gateway, is the entrance to Koya’s sacred site. This is where the Choishi-michi pilgrimage path from Kudoyama (24 kilometers away) ends.
October and 8.30 am – 5pm November to April, entry is 600 yen) situated on the other side of the road that runs through the Danjo Garan. The building contains many major pieces of Buddhist art, most of which are classified as national treasures. The second essential place to visit in Koya-san is Oku-no-in, a temple complex that is particularly spellbinding on a foggy day. It is surrounded by an ancient cemetery and the 200,000 tombs, scattered over an area of two kilometres, are in the midst of a forest of hundred-year-old cedars, which make the place somewhat more unsettling. It is easy to understand why the Japanese are so fascinated by ghost stories when you find yourself in a place like this amongst thousands of tomb stones covered in moss. This sacred place, which begins at the Ichi no hashi bridge, is also notable for the diversity of the monuments it encloses. Amongst them is a rocket, part of a memorial by the Nissan Group in honour of their wor-
kers. The UCC society that specializes in selling coffee naturally chose to mark its presence here with two huge cups that many stop to stare at. Though these constructions catch the eye, most of the tombstones are quite simple. There are many five story stone stupas with carvings of characters relating to the five ele-
PRACTICAL INFORMATION FROM KYOTO take a train (the Tokaido line) to Osaka and then change for the Kanjo line. From Shin-Imamiya, take the Koya-Nankai line to Gokuraku-bashi. From there, a funicular railway will take you to Koya-san station where you can catch a bus to the city centre. The journey will take you 2h30m. From Tokyo, catch the shinkansen to Shin-Osaka and then change to the underground (Midosuji line) to Nankai Namba station where you can get the Koya-Nankai line. It is 4h50m away from the capital. http://koyasan.or.jp/
ZOOM JAPAN is published by A Concept Limited 31 Oval Road London NW1 7EA U.K. www.zoomjapan.info - info@zoomjapan.info ISSN : 2050-5108 Printed in France - In cooperation with Zoom Japon (France) - Ed. Ilyfunet
Publisher : Yoshiki Van Editorial : Odaira Namihei, Gabriel Bernard, Gianni Simone, Maeno Yuichi, Eric Rechsteiner, Jérémie Souteyrat, Keiichi Kondo, Jay Brillo, Luke Bissett, Aurélie Boissière, Kanda Graphisme Translation : Chloë Salles, Susana Brown, Gavin J Poffley Sales : Keiko Tashiro, Monica Fujiwara Production : Toru Uekusa, Misako Kondo, Yuki Torikai, Toyohiko Endo, Takatoshi Ono, Kyoko Saito
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TRAVEL
In the Oku-no-in necropolis, there are many multi-storey stone stupas.
Winter is the most spectacular season to visit Mount Koya.
ments of Buddhist cosmology (earth, water, fire, wind and void). In many strains of Buddhist doctrine, the Buddha Mahavairocana’s body as well as the human body and all of the physical world are made up of these five elements and they do not disintegrate after death. The most famous stone stupa is Ichiban sekito, which was built by Tokugawa Tadanaga, son of shogun Tokugawa Hidetda, in memory of his mother. It is 10 metres high and is the biggest in the necropolis. Along the path that leads to the Kobo daishi mausoleum there are little Buddhist statues wearing bibs. They are representations of the Jizo bodhisattva, which according to popular belief, takes care of children and looks after them in the next world. There are quite a few and many bear funny facial expressions. A few dozen metres away from the mausoleum, the Gobyo no hashi bridge marks the entrance to the most sacred part of Oku-no-in. Here you will find the Pavilion of Lanterns (Toro-do), a prayer chapel that contains over 10,000 lanterns left by believers. On the other side is Kobo Daishi’s mau-
soleum, which according to tradition, is not the resting place for his corpse but houses the ever-living monk in a state of eternal meditation. That is why monks still serve him two meals a day. The mausoleum is the pilgrim’s last stop before reaching Mount Koya. Before the advent of public transport and the construction of roads suitable for cars, believers used to walk the pilgrim paths. There are seven in total (known as the Koya nankuchi), and the most famous is the Choishi-michi that is 24 km long. This path connects the Jison-in monastery in Kudyama to the main gateway (Daimon) that marks the entrance to Koya-san’s sacred site. It’s name comes from the stone markers every 109 m. Like all of Mount Koya, this road was given Unesco World Heritage status in 2004 and if you aren’t in a rush, it’s a beautiful walk. The path begins two kilometres from Kudoyama station and it will take you approximately 7 hours to walk to Danjo Garan. To take advantage of the pilgrimage atmosphere you can spend a night in a monastery (shukubo). 52 of the
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117 monasteries offer accommodation and vegetarian meals (shojin ryori). Originally, they provided housing for migrant monks. Nowadays, the rooms in many monasteries are comparable to the best hotels, with all the comfort you would expect. You can ask to join morning prayers around 6am and many tourists enjoy the experience, so we recommend you make a reservation (www.shukubo.net). Mount Koya is accessible in any season, however, the most impressive time is winter, when snow and mist give the area a mystical atmosphere that suits the monk Kukai’s Shingon Buddhism. There are also many small cafes to visit after this meditational walk. One of them, the Bon On Sha (0736 56 5535), right by the post office, is especially cosy. They serve delicious hot chocolate in warm gallery/shop surroundings, filled with local handicrafts and photos of the region. Once you are reinvigorated, you can continue your trip to the many other sacred locations in the region. ODAIRA NAMIHEI